Heterogeneous material integration through guided lateral growth

• US 10,435,812 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2013
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yale University
• Original Assignee: Yale University
• Inventors: Han, Jung
• Primary Examiner(s): Bratland, Jr., Kenneth A
• Application Number:
  US14/379,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20160017515A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,422 Days
• Field of Search: 117 84, 117 88- 90, 117 93- 95, 117 97, 117101-102, 117104-106, 117902, 117923, 117937, 117952
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/16 Controlling or regulating controlling or regulating in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/186 being specially pre-treated by, e.g. chemical or physical means
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/22 Sandwich processes
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/406 Gallium nitride
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02422 Non-crystalline insulating materials, e.g. glass, polymers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02439 Materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02458 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0254 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0262 Reduction or decomposition of gaseous compounds, e.g. CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02623 Liquid deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02639 Preparation of substrate for selective deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02647 Lateral overgrowth

Abstract

Methods are provided for generating a crystalline material. The methods comprise depositing a textured thin film in a growth seed area, wherein the textured thin film has a preferential crystallographic axis; providing a growth channel extending from the growth seed area, the growth channel permitting guided lateral growth; and growing a crystalline material in the growth channel along a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the preferential crystallographic axis of the textured thin film. A preferred crystalline material is gallium nitride, and preferred textured thin films are aluminum nitride and titanium nitride.

Claims

1. A method for generating a crystalline material, the method comprising:

depositing a textured thin film of a nitride material in a growth seed area, wherein the textured thin film comprises fibrous grains having a majority oriented along a preferred crystallographic axis;

providing a growth channel extending from the growth seed area, the growth channel permitting guided lateral growth; and

growing a III-V crystalline material at a temperature of at least 900°

C. in the growth channel along a direction that is perpendicular to the preferred crystallographic axis of the textured thin film, wherein the textured thin film has not undergone recrystallization up until the crystalline material begins to grow, wherein the crystalline material is gallium nitride.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

growing the crystalline material into a single crystalline region at an end of the growth channel wherein the crystalline material is single crystalline over an area as large as 200 square microns.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the textured thin film comprises aluminum nitride or titanium nitride.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the crystalline material is grown on an amorphous substrate such that the crystalline material and the substrate are heterogeneously integrated.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the substrate comprises silicon dioxide.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of generating the crystalline material from a polycrystalline material by evolutionary selection within the growth channel, wherein the polycrystalline material is grown from the growth seed area.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises selectively growing a polycrystalline material from the growth seed area and continuing through the growth channel such that the multiplicity of orientations in the polycrystalline material lessen as the growth extends farther from the growth seed area in the growth channel, thereby providing the crystalline material having a single orientation from the polycrystalline material.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the growing of the crystalline material from the seed area into the growth channel is selected from metalorganic chemical vapor deposition, hydride vapor phase epitaxy, molecular beam epitaxy or liquid phase epitaxy.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein depositing the textured thin film comprises depositing the textured thin film such that a portion of the thin film is connected to the growth channel to provide a growth seed area.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the portion of the thin film that provides the growth seed area is a side surface or a top of the textured thin film.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the growth channel is formed by:

patterning the textured thin film into one or more desired thin film patterns,

covering said one or more thin film patterns with dielectric material to form a dielectric cover, wherein the dielectric cover has at least a first end and a second end;

removing at least a portion of the first end of the dielectric cover so as to expose an edge of the thin film pattern, and

removing a first portion of the textured thin film from under the dielectric cover to form a tunnel while leaving a second portion of the textured thin film within the second end of the dielectric cover, wherein the second portion of the textured thin film has a side surface;

wherein the side surface of the thin film serves as the growth seed area.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the portion of the thin film that provides the growth seed area is a top surface of the textured thin film, and wherein the growth channel is formed by:

covering the textured thin film with a first dielectric layer having a top surface,

opening a window to form the growth seed area,

covering the top surface of the first dielectric layer and the growth seed area with a sacrificial layer,

patterning the sacrificial layer into desirable shapes with one portion connected to the growth seed area,

depositing a second dielectric layer on top of the sacrificial layer,

performing another patterning to expose the edge of the sacrificial layer, and

removing the sacrificial layer to form a channel defined by the first and second dielectric layers connected to the growth seed area.

13. A method for generating a crystalline material on a substrate, the method comprising:

depositing a textured thin film of a nitride material in a growth seed area of a substrate, wherein the growth seed area has a first width and the textured thin film comprises fibrous grains having a majority oriented along a preferred crystallographic axis;

providing a growth channel on the substrate connected to the growth seed area, the growth channel having a second width, wherein the second width is less than the first width;

providing a growth area on the substrate connected to the growth channel, the growth area having a third width, wherein the third width is greater than the second width; and

selectively growing gallium nitride crystalline material at a temperature of at least 900°

C. from the growth seed area and continuing through the growth channel such that a multiplicity of orientations in the gallium nitride crystalline material lessen as the growth of the gallium nitride crystalline material extends farther from the growth seed area, wherein the gallium nitride crystalline material in the growth area has a single orientation and wherein the textured thin film has not undergone recrystallization up until selectively growing the gallium nitride crystalline material.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising forming the growth channel by depositing a grooved dielectric layer on the textured thin film or a substrate.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising depositing a vertical confinement layer above the growth channel and optionally above the growth area such that the growth of the crystalline gallium nitride material is vertically confined at least through the growth channel and optionally in the growth area.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the crystalline material in the growth area is single crystal over an area as large as 200 square microns.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the textured thin film comprises aluminum nitride or titanium nitride; and

the substrate comprises silicon or silicon dioxide.

18. A method for producing a gallium nitride crystalline material, the method comprising:

depositing a textured thin film of a nitride material in a growth seed area, wherein the textured thin film comprises fibrous grains having a majority oriented along a preferred crystallographic axis;

providing a growth channel extending from the growth seed area, the growth channel permitting guided lateral growth; and

growing the gallium nitride crystalline material at a temperature of at least 900°

C. in the growth channel along a direction that is perpendicular to the preferred crystallographic axis of the textured thin film, wherein the textured thin film has not undergone recrystallization up until the crystalline material begins to grow.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the textured thin film comprises aluminum nitride, zirconium nitride, or titanium nitride.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising depositing the textured thin film on an amorphous substrate.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the method comprises selectively growing a polycrystalline material from the growth seed area and continuing through the growth channel such that the multiplicity of orientations in the polycrystalline material lessen as the growth extends farther from the growth seed area in the growth channel, thereby providing gallium nitride crystalline material having a single orientation over an area as large as 200 square microns.